EMI/RF shielding of thermocouples

ABSTRACT

Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to a temperature sensor disposed in an apparatus. In many semiconductor, liquid crystal display, solar panel or organic light emitting display fabrication processes, RF power is utilized to either ignite a plasma within the processing chamber or to provide supplemental energy to the process. Temperature control during many processes may be beneficial in order to produce a consistent product. Temperature sensors or thermocouples are sometimes utilized to measure the temperature of a substrate within a processing chamber. The RF power may have a negative impact on the temperature sensor. By coating the temperature sensor with a nanoparticle based metal coating, such as a silver coating, the negative impacts of the RF power on the temperature sensor may be reduced without contaminating the process, and an accurate temperature measurement may be obtained.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of co-pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/838,455, filed Jul. 17, 2010, which claimsbenefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/226,927,filed Jul. 20, 2009, each of which is herein incorporated by referencein its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to a temperature sensordisposed in an apparatus.

Description of the Related Art

Semiconductor device geometries have dramatically decreased in sizesince such devices were first introduced several decades ago. Sincethen, integrated circuits have generally followed the two year/half-sizerule (often called Moore's Law), which means that the number of devicesthat will fit on a chip doubles every two years. Today's fabricationplants are routinely producing devices having 45 nanometer featuresizes, and tomorrow's plants will soon be producing devices having evensmaller geometries.

Thermal and plasma annealing processes are sometimes used to manufacturesemiconductor devices. Thermal and plasma annealing processes may beperformed at temperatures of less than about 400 degrees Celsius inorder to prevent damage to other components of the substrate or deviceon which the low dielectric constant film is deposited. As a result, theability to monitor the temperature at the substrate surface isbeneficial to the annealing process. Further, industry productionrequirements dictate several criteria that should be met when selectinga temperature sensing device or thermocouple.

First, the junction of the thermocouple device should make direct,reliable thermal contact with the surface to be monitored. Otherwise,there is a thermal impedance between the thermocouple junction and thesurface resulting in temperature readings more closely related to thematerial surrounding the thermocouple than to the actual surfacetemperature.

Second, the mass of material surrounding the thermocouple junction andholding it to the surface should be minimal. The effect of this materialis to add thermal mass to the junction and insulation surface beneaththe material, both of which cause the thermocouple to lag the truesurface temperature.

Finally, the thermocouple surface should not introduce contaminants ontothe surface being measured. While a number of thermocouple devices arecurrently known, they all use a ceramic tip to maximize temperatureresponse. Unfortunately, using the ceramic tip against a surface, suchas a silicon wafer surface, in an RF based process results in RF/EMInoise interference.

For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a temperature measurementdevice with a good response time, reliable thermal contact, andcomprising a material that won't contaminate the object whosetemperature is measured.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to a temperature sensordisposed in an apparatus. In many semiconductor, liquid crystal display,solar panel or organic light emitting display fabrication processes, RFpower is utilized to either ignite a plasma within the processingchamber or to provide supplemental energy to the process. Temperaturecontrol during many processes may be beneficial in order to produce aconsistent product. Temperature sensors or thermocouples are sometimesutilized to measure the temperature of a substrate within a processingchamber. The RF power may have a negative impact on the temperaturesensor. By coating the temperature sensor with a nanoparticle basedmetal coating, such as a silver coating, the negative impacts of the RFpower on the temperature sensor may be reduced without contaminating theprocess, and an accurate temperature measurement may be obtained.

In one embodiment, a thermocouple is disclosed. The thermocouple maycomprise a thermocouple body having a first coating disposed over thethermocouple body. The first coating may comprise a first material. Thethermocouple may also include a second coating disposed over the firstcoating. The second coating may comprise a second material differentthan the first material. The thermocouple may also comprise a thirdcoating disposed over the second coating. The third coating may comprisea third material different than both the first material and the secondmaterial. In another embodiment, a thermocouple comprising athermocouple body having a nano coating of silver thereon is disclosed.

In another embodiment, an apparatus for processing a substrate isdisclosed. The apparatus may include a temperature sensor, a firstcoating disposed over the temperature sensor, the first coatingcomprising a first material and a second coating disposed over the firstcoating. The second coating may comprise a second material differentthan the first material. The apparatus may also include a third coatingdisposed over the second coating. The third coating may comprise a thirdmaterial different than both the first material and the second material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the presentinvention can be understood in detail, a more particular description ofthe invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference toembodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Itis to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate onlytypical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to beconsidered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to otherequally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an apparatus having aplurality of temperature sensors disposed therein according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 2A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a temperature sensoraccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 2B is a schematic close-up view of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2C is a schematic close-up view of the temperature sensor of FIG.2A.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have beenused, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common tothe figures. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in oneembodiment may be beneficially utilized on other embodiments withoutspecific recitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to a temperature sensordisposed in an apparatus. In many semiconductor, liquid crystal display,solar panel or organic light emitting display fabrication processes, RFpower is utilized to either ignite a plasma within the processingchamber or to provide supplemental energy to the process. Temperaturecontrol during many processes may be beneficial in order to produce aconsistent product. Temperature sensors or thermocouples are sometimesutilized to measure the temperature of a substrate within a processingchamber. The RF power may have a negative impact on the temperaturesensor. By coating the temperature sensor with a nanoparticle basedmetal coating, such as a silver coating, the negative impacts of the RFpower on the temperature sensor may be reduced without contaminating theprocess, and an accurate temperature measurement may be obtained.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an apparatus having aplurality of temperature sensors disposed therein according to oneembodiment. The apparatus will be described in a generic sense withoutspecific description to the type of chamber. However, it is to beunderstood that the apparatus may be any general processing chamber thatis typical in the semiconductor, solar panel, liquid crystal display andorganic light emitting display industries such as chemical vapordeposition (CVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD),sputtering, etching and annealing chambers to name a few. Suitablechambers that may be used to practice the embodiments discussed hereinmay be obtained from Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, Calif. It isto be understood that the embodiments discussed herein may be practicedin chambers obtained from other manufacturers as well.

The apparatus comprises a chamber 100 having an electrode 102 that iscoupled to an RF power source 104. The electrode 102 may comprise a gasdistribution showerhead, a sputtering target, etc. The electrode 102 maybe disposed across a processing area 106 from a susceptor 108 upon whicha substrate rests during processing. Processing gas may be introducedinto the chamber 100 from a processing gas source 118 and evacuated fromthe chamber 100 with a vacuum pump 114. The substrate may be insertedand removed from the chamber 100 through a slit valve opening 116 thatis present through a chamber wall.

In one embodiment, the susceptor 108 may have heating elements embeddedtherein and/or cooling channels embedded therein to permit thetemperature of the susceptor 108 and thus, the substrate disposedthereon, to be adjusted. Additionally, heating lamps may be presenteither within the chamber 100 or outside the chamber 100 to anneal thesubstrate.

To monitor the temperature of the substrate during processing, one ormore temperature sensors 110 or thermocouples may be coupled to thesusceptor 108 and in contact with the substrate. The temperature sensors110 measure the temperature of the substrate and provide feedback to acontroller 112. The controller 112 receives the temperature informationand may then control the heating and/or cooling of the substrate. It isto be understood that while two temperature sensors 110 have been shown,more or less temperature sensors 110 may be present.

When a plasma process is performed, a plasma environment is created inthe chamber 100 for the purpose of depositing material onto thesubstrate or etching material from the substrate. The plasma is struckwhen the processing chamber 100 is at a very high vacuum level. Noblegases such as argon, helium, neon, etc. are introduced into theprocessing chamber 100 in the presence of a very high frequency RFfield. The deposition or etching process is carried out at very hightemperatures in the processing chamber 100.

For semiconductor processing, semiconductor wafers, such as siliconwafers, are placed on the susceptor 108 for processing. Heating lampsmay be activated to heat the substrate. The RF power source 104generates the high frequency RF field that is used to strike the plasmain the processing chamber 100 and maintain the plasma density duringprocessing. During normal operation, the chamber 100 temperature may bebetween about 50 degrees Celsius and about 70 degrees Celsius. Thesusceptor 108, meanwhile, may be maintained at between about 400 degreesCelsius and about 480 degrees Celsius, depending upon the process.

For maintaining a regulated temperature on the substrate within thechamber 100, the temperature is continuously monitored and controlled.Hence, the susceptor 108 temperature is monitored and controlled. Duringthe temperature measurement, RF/EMI (i.e., radiofrequency/electromagnetic interference) noise may interfere with thesignal and result in an inaccurate measurement of the temperature,damage of parts and equipment, low usage of the system and high meantime between failures (MTBF). The temperature sensors 110 and theconnecting wires that are embedded within the susceptor 108 may beshielded with traditional EMI shields.

Inaccurate temperature measurement may result in equipment and substratedamage. The equipment and substrate damage may result in significantequipment downtime while the equipment is fixed. Field failure ofsusceptors is a chronic issue that results in customer dissatisfactionand has a high cost impact. Improper reading of temperatures,temperature spiking, and temperature mean instability are common issueswith susceptors whose failure can be traced to improper grounding of thesusceptor, the temperature sensor and interference of RF signals withthe temperature sensor wires. The orientation of the temperature sensorleads with respect to the RF source also has an impact on the signalinterference. The wires should have a diameter as small as possible andbe as close to the susceptor top surface as possible to measure thetemperature accurately with a minimum response time. Hence, increasingthe sheath thickness (i.e., a coating on the temperature sensor) mayincrease the response time.

A nano silver coating may be the best solution to the above discussedproblems. Silver has three times higher thermal conductivity andelectrical conductivity as compared to ceramic tipped temperaturesensors. The electrical conductivity of silver can eliminate the problemof RF interference and has an effective grounding of the EMI and ES(i.e., electrostatic) noise. The wires within the temperature sensor maybe twisted to cancel the electromagnetic noise. Low resistance coating,even though thin, accurately connected without contaminations or holesor gaps helps reduce electrostatic noise. Higher uniformity and accuracyin processing may be achieved since the response time for thetemperature sensor may be reduced as compared to ceramic tippedtemperature sensors. Complete shielding and separate grounding mayimprove the rejection of EMI and ES noise. The application ofnanoparticles on the metal sheath of the temperature sensor and theconnecting wires fills up any voids in the joints on the sheath and onthe grounding shield of the wires and significantly reduces RF/EMI noisewith enhanced RF grounding and faster response times compared to ceramictipped temperature sensors. A coating of ceramic material, such asalumina or aluminum nitride, may be further applied if desired forpreventing particle contamination in the processing chambers as fewprocesses utilize processing or cleaning gases, such as fluorine basedgases, react with silver. The nano coating of silver is applied on theshielding and on the metal cover of the adapter of the temperaturesensor by various processes such as dipping, spraying and firing toimprove process accuracy, life of parts, RF grounding, measurementresponse time and measurement accuracy. It is to be understood thatwhile silver has been described, other metals such as copper, aluminum,gold, diamond with high thermal conductivity and low thermal electricalresistance, and also microwave-absorption materials such as cobalt,iron, zinc oxide particles and its carbon package particles may beutilized.

The nano silver coating on the temperature sensor has many benefits. Thenano coating can ground/drain the electromagnetic noise since it has ahigh electrical conductivity and a higher thermal conductivity thanceramic. The temperature sensor wires after the adaptor portion of thetemperature sensor may be coated with nano silver and twisted to cancelthe electromagnetic noise. The nano silver coating is a low resistancecoating even though it is thin. The nano coating permits the temperaturesensor to accurately connect to the substrate without contaminations orholes or gaps therebetween. The separate grounding of the sheath willimprove the EMI and ES rejection and also in low frequency and DC noise.The response time will be greatly reduced as the thermal conductivity isvery high compared to ceramic material. Higher uniformity and accuracyin the process can be achieved because the response time is reducedcompared to ceramic tipped temperature sensors. Complete shielding andseparate grounding can improve the rejection of EMI and ES noise. Sincethe electromagnetic noise source is confined to a particular area, theorientation of the temperature sensor relative to the RF source canminimize EMI coupling noise, similar to three way circulator designs.The response time is directly proportional to the diameter of thetemperature sensor. As the thickness of the nano silver is very thin(i.e., about 0.5 micrometers to about 1 micrometer), there is noincrease in response time. Encapsulating the nano silver coating wiresand temperature sensor body will increase the life of the temperaturesensor and prevent the silver from being introduced into the chamber ascompared to ceramic. The average signal to noise ratio (SNR) value ofthe temperature sensor is increased further by nano coating andencapsulation. Improved temperature sensors may have a very high SNR(i.e., greater than about 30) that helps in accurate temperaturemeasurement.

Therefore, EMI/RF radiation may be controlled by applying a nano silvercoating onto the nickel sheath that is present on a temperature sensor.The thermal and electrical conductivity of the silver coating is threetimes more then that of nickel. Thus, the silver has properties of EMIshielding at higher temperatures that nickel does not. Suitable silvermaterials that may be used to coat the temperature sensor includeTEC-PA-030, available from InkTec. The particle size for the silvercoating may be between about 10 nanometers to about 50 nanometers. Thesilver coating may be deposited by numerous techniques including spraycoating, dip coating and a printing and firing process. The printing andfiring process may comprise coating transparent silver nanoparticles inthe form of an ink onto the surface. Then, the ink is fired to evaporateand dry the silver organic transparent coating to form a self assembledsilver monolayer. Metal ink uses a drying or firing process that isdifferent than image printing. The drying or firing process is forevaporating other materials except for the metal (i.e., silver) in theink. Unfired ink printing will have other materials, except for silvermetal, interrupt an electronic current. Sintering will not be performedas sintering will grow the particle size.

Experiments have been conducted to show the beneficial effects of havinga nano-silver coating over the temperature sensor in regards to responsetime. In the experiments, a control temperature sensor was utilized inwhich no coating was applied thereover, a temperature sensor in which anano-silver coating having a particle size of 10 nm was depositedthereover and a temperature sensor in which a nano-silver coating havinga particle size of 20 nm was deposited thereover were utilized. Thetemperature to be measured was 674.9 degrees Kelvin. The controltemperature sensor having no coating thereover took 0.552 seconds toregister the temperature, the temperature sensor having a nano-silvercoating with a particle size of 10 nm took 0.44 seconds and thetemperature sensor having a nano-silver coating with a particle size of20 nm took 0.368 seconds to register the temperature. Thus, anano-silver coated temperature sensor having a particle size of 10 nmhad an improvement of over 20 percent response time relative to anuncoated temperature sensor. A nano-silver coated temperature sensorhaving a particle size of 20 nm performed even better with more than a33 percent response time increase relative to an uncoated temperaturesensor. An increase in response time provides more accurate, timelymeasurements that may reduce damage to substrates and may increasethroughput. Therefore, it is clear that the increase in response timeafforded by utilizing a nano-silver coating over a temperature sensor isbeneficial.

Experiments were also conducted to show the increase in thermalconductivity of utilizing a nano-silver coating on a temperature sensor.In a first experiment, a temperature sensor having an uncoated (i.e., Ni200) material and a nano-silver coated temperature sensor were tested.The temperature sensors were tested for their thermal conductivity at200 degrees Celsius. The uncoated temperature sensor had a thermalconductivity of 61 W/mK while the nano-silver coated temperature sensorhad a thermal conductivity of 68.70 W/mK. Thus, at 200 degrees Celsius,the nano-silver coated temperature sensor had an 11.21 percent increasein thermal conductivity relative to the uncoated temperature sensor. Asecond experiment was conducted in which an uncoated temperature sensorand a nano-silver coated temperature sensor were tested to determinetheir thermal conductivity at 480 degrees Celsius. The uncoatedtemperature sensor had a thermal conductivity of 57 W/mK while thenano-silver coated temperature sensor had a thermal conductivity of63.17 W/mK. Thus, at 480 degrees Celsius, the nano-silver coatedtemperature sensor had a 9.77 percent increase in thermal conductivityrelative to the uncoated temperature sensor.

FIG. 2A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a temperature sensor 200according to one embodiment. FIG. 2B is a schematic close-up view ofFIG. 2A. The temperature sensor 200 includes a probe portion 202, anadaptor potting area 204 and a wire shielded area 206. The wires 210that transmit the measured temperature to the controller are twisted inthe wire shielded area 206. The probe portion 202, adaptor potting area204 and the wire shielded area 206 may all be coated with a multi-layercoating 208.

FIG. 2B shows the details of the multi-layer coating on the temperaturesensor 200. A first layer 216 is the inner most layer. In oneembodiment, the first layer 216 may comprise a metal. In anotherembodiment, the first layer 216 may comprise a ferromagnetic material.In another embodiment, the first layer 216 may comprise a materialselected from the group consisting of nickel, iron, cobalt, copper,aluminum, gold, and diamond with high thermal conductivity and lowthermal electrical resistance, microwave-absorption materials such aszinc oxide particles and its carbon package particles, and combinationsthereof. Multilayered coatings of material with high thermalconductivity and low electrical resistance can be used in propercombination over nickel sheath to improve the life of the thermocouple.The first layer 216 may have a thickness of between about 0.004 inch toabout 0.021 inch. The first layer 216, as the innermost layer, may becoupled to the wires 218, 220 at a junction 222.

A second layer 214 may be deposited over the first layer 216. In oneembodiment, the second layer 214 may have a thickness of between about0.03 micrometers to about 30 micrometers. In one embodiment, the secondlayer 214 may comprise silver. The second layer 214 may comprisenanoparticles. In one embodiment, the nanoparticles of the second layer214 may have a particle diameter of between about 10 nanometers to about50 nanometers. The second layer 214 may be deposited over the firstlayer 216 by various deposition processes. One such deposition processis spray coating. Another deposition process that may be utilized is dipcoating. Another deposition process that may be utilized is printing thenanoparticles of the second layer 214 onto the first layer 216 in theform of an ink. In one embodiment, the ink may comprise organicmaterials. The ink contains the nanoparticles therein. The deposited inkmay be transparent in one embodiment. In one embodiment, the ink may bedeposited onto the first layer 216 by printing. In another embodiment,the ink may be simply coated onto the first layer 216. Once the ink isdeposited onto the first layer 216 by printing, the second layer 214 isthen fired or exposed to a flame to evaporate and dry the nanoparticles.The organic material of the ink evaporates off and the remainingnanoparticles are assembled in a monolayer. In the case of silver,silver nanoparticles remain on the first layer 216 as a monolayer. Thesecond layer 214, because it is a monolayer of nanoparticles, fills inany gaps within the first layer 216 and thus effectively shields thefirst layer 216 from EMI and RF radiation.

After the second layer 214 is deposited over the first layer 216, anoptional third layer 212 may be deposited over the second layer 214. Thethird layer 212 may be desirable in certain situations where thematerial of the second layer 214 should not be exposed to the processingenvironment for contamination purposes. However, if the material of thesecond layer 214 is not harmful and will not contaminate the processingenvironment either during processing or cleaning, the third layer 212may be eliminated. When present, the third layer 212 may comprise aceramic material. In one embodiment, the ceramic material may comprisealuminum oxide. In another embodiment, the ceramic material may comprisealuminum nitride. In one embodiment, the third layer 212 may have athickness of between about 0.03 micrometers to abut 20 micrometers.

FIG. 2C is a schematic close-up view of the temperature sensor of FIG.2A. The adaptor potting area 204 is shown in greater detail includingthe chromel wire 218 and the alumel wire 220. FIG. 2A shows a resistorRa along the chromel wire 218 and a resistor Rb along the alumel wire220. FIG. 2C shows a third resistor Rc along the alumel wire 220 withinthe adaptor potting area 204 as well as two resistors Rd connected inseries between the chromel wire 218 and the alumel wire 220. The thirdresistor Rc creates a balanced circuit such that Rc=Ra−Rb. The tworesistors Rd in series create a high resistance connection between thewires 218, 220 such that Rd>=1000 (Ra−Rb).

The wires 218, 220 may each be coated with not only an insulativecoating, but also a metal coating over the insulating coating. In oneembodiment, the metal coating may comprise a ferromagnetic material. Inanother embodiment, the metal coating may comprise nickel, iron, cobaltand combinations thereof. The metal coating may shield the wires 218,220 from RF fields and electromagnetic interference. As shown in FIG.2A, the wires 218, 220 may be wrapped around each other in the wireshielded area 206. By wrapping the wires 218, 220, any electromagneticnoise picked up by the wires 218, 220 may cancel each other.

By depositing a metal monolayer comprising nanoparticles over the innermetal layer, the RF and EMI shielding of a temperature sensor may beimproved and accurate temperature measurements may be made. An optionalceramic layer may be deposited over the monolayer if desired to preventany contamination of the processing chamber by introduction of materialof the monolayer.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention,other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised withoutdeparting from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof isdetermined by the claims that follow.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for processing a substrate,comprising: a substrate support; a temperature sensor, wherein thetemperature sensor is disposed in the substrate support; a first coatingdisposed over the temperature sensor, the first coating comprising afirst material; a second coating disposed over the first coating, thesecond coating comprising a second material different than the firstmaterial, wherein the second coating comprises silver, wherein thesilver comprises silver nanoparticles; and a third coating disposed overthe second coating, the third coating comprising a third materialdifferent than both the first material and the second material.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the first coating comprises nickel.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the silver nanoparticles of the secondcoating a diameter of between about 10 nanometers to about 50nanometers, and wherein the second coating has a thickness of betweenabout 0.03 micrometers and about 30 micrometers.
 4. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the third coating comprises a ceramic material, whereinthe ceramic material is selected from the group consisting of aluminumoxide, aluminum nitride and combinations thereof, and wherein the thirdcoating has a thickness of between about 0.03 micrometers and about 30micrometers.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a pluralityof wires disposed within the temperature sensor, wherein the pluralityof wires are electrically insulated from one another, wherein theplurality of wires are twisted, and wherein the plurality of wires arecoated with a nickel containing material.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1,further comprising: a processing chamber, wherein the substrate supportand temperature sensor are disposed within the processing chamber; anelectrode disposed within the processing chamber; and an RF power sourcecoupled to the electrode.
 7. An apparatus for processing a substrate,comprising: a substrate support; a temperature sensor, wherein thetemperature sensor is coupled to the substrate support; a first coatingdisposed over the temperature sensor, the first coating comprising afirst material; a second coating disposed over the first coating, thesecond coating comprising a second material different than the firstmaterial, wherein the second coating comprises silver, wherein thesilver comprises silver nanoparticles; and a third coating disposed overthe second coating, the third coating comprising a third materialdifferent than both the first material and the second material.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 7, wherein the first coating comprises nickel.
 9. Theapparatus of claim 7, wherein the the silver nanoparticles have adiameter of between about 10 nanometers to about 50 nanometers, andwherein the second coating has a thickness of between about 0.03micrometers and about 30 micrometers.
 10. The apparatus of claim 7,wherein the third coating comprises a ceramic material, wherein theceramic material is selected from the group consisting of aluminumoxide, aluminum nitride and combinations thereof, and wherein the thirdcoating has a thickness of between about 0.03 micrometers and about 30micrometers.
 11. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising aplurality of wires disposed within the temperature sensor, wherein theplurality of wires are electrically insulated from one another, whereinthe plurality of wires are twisted, and wherein the plurality of wiresare coated with a nickel containing material.
 12. The apparatus of claim7, further comprising: a processing chamber, wherein the substratesupport and temperature sensor are disposed within the processingchamber; an electrode disposed within the processing chamber; and an RFpower source coupled to the electrode.
 13. The apparatus of claim 7,wherein the temperature sensor is embedded within the substrate support.14. An apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising: a thermocouplecomprising a thermocouple body having a nano coating of silvernanoparticles thereon and; a plurality of wires disposed within thethermocouple body, the plurality of wires being coated with anickel-containing material, wherein the plurality of wires are twisted.15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the nano coating has a thicknessof about 0.03 micrometers to about 30 micrometers.
 16. The thermocoupleof claim 14, wherein the thermocouple has a signal to noise ratio ofgreater than about
 30. 17. The thermocouple of claim 14, wherein thethermocouple body, including the nano coating of silver nanoparticles,is encapsulated in a ceramic coating.